A reliable choice

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My eating itinerary continues even after I'm back in Hong Kong, and the very first evening I'm back at Amuse Bouche.  Dr. Poon is hosting his MNSC dinner, and there was no way I was gonna miss it!

Lobster salad: Main lobster salad with tomato jelly, sea urchin and Oscietra caviar, shaved Mozzarella - love this as a starter.  The cold lobster and the lobster jelly was very refreshing, and there was lots of umami here between all the ingredients.  Even the multi-colored tomatoes were full of umami.  The Mozzarella powder on the side were both savory and acidic, and the vinegar caviar next to the powder had tougher skin than expected.

Truffle pasta: Tuscan artisanal pasta with black truffle and a natural poulet jus - the restaurant's signature dish that no one ever gets tired of.  Just casarecce pasta, truffle sauce, some cheese, gravy, and topped off with shavings of fresh truffles.  So simple, and so much happiness from such simplicity.

Yellow chicken: slow-cooked free-range whole yellow chicken from Landes with morels, asparagus and sauce Albuféra - the chicken came in big chunks but were nice and tender.  The pile of creamed morel mushrooms was very creamy.

Prime beef sirloin: Roasted US Prime beef sirloin, black truffle celeriac risotto with asparagus and baby carrots, beef jus - medium-rare was recommended, but I asked for it to be a little more rare.  I think I made the right call.

The beef was done perfectly.  Nice and charred on the outside, but still juicy and tender in the middle.  The "risotto" underneath was pretty tasty, too.

Caramelized pineapple: caramelized pineapple scented with cinnamon, layers of marscapone in pots - this was surprisingly good.  The diced confit pineapple was served in alternating laters with marscapone and crunchy bits like feuilletine.

Once again, Dr. Poon was really generous and we were treated to a fantastic range of wines.

1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon P2 - very nice and toasty nose, drinking beautifully.  Surprisingly mature on the palate.  However, sitting in the glass caused the wine to die quickly.

First flight: opened for 1 hour and decanted just prior to serving

1967 Palmer, from the Sotheby's ex-château sale on June 4, 2016 - initially very dusty and chalky nose.  Very savory, with some tobacco notes.  Very smooth on the palate.  92 points.

1967 Petrus - nice and ripe fruit on the nose at first, but also showed a little dusty and mineral notes, with mint, smoke, and some sweetness here.  93 points.

1967 Trotanoy - nice fruit, a little stinky, some coffee, black fruits, smoky with a hint of vegetal notes.  Firmer and more powerful on the palate.  95 points.

Second flight: opened and decanted 1 hour and 15 minutes later.

1982 Latour à Pomerol - lovely ripe fruit, eucalyptus, still a bit graphite and dusty.  Much riper on the palate.  95 points.

1982 L'Evangile - showing sweet grass and vegetal.  Corked.

1982 Trotanoy - replacement bottle.  Opened late.  Mineral and savory nose.  93 points.

1982 Lynch-Bages - coffee, smoke, a bit of sweet fruit.  Sweet grass showed up on the second pour.  Wonderful.  97 points.

Third flight: opened 30 minutes prior to serving without decanting.

1989 DRC Grands Echezeaux - really sweet berries, almost like strawberries.  Lovely, with a bit of forest.  Not so great on the palate after sitting in the glass for a while.  96 points.

1980 DRC Grands Echezeaux - also nose of really sweet berries.  Beautiful, with more concentration.  98 points.